The Board denied service connection for left ankle strain, left foot plantar fasciitis, and lumbar spine disorder (scoliosis and degenerative arthritis) as the evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or disease leading to these conditions.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not establish that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his service, including an incident where he fell on a frozen deck during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle strain, Left foot plantar fasciitis, Lumbar spine disorder (scoliosis and degenerative arthritis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2019
- Citation
- A19001682
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,432 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A19001682.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher level of SMC was denied as the Board found that he is already in receipt of SMC at the (l) rate based on need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure. A second award of SMC at the (l) rate based on need for regular aid and attendance was not warranted.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was dismissed as a matter of law due to a full grant of benefits. The appeals for left knee and left ankle disabilities are remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical strain and left ankle strain, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial ratings for a left ankle strain and limitation of extension and flexion of the left knee have been granted. The rating for limitation of flexion is subject to further review.
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